Pearls for your Transition from Residency to the First Year of Practice

By Molly Ritsema, MD

So you’ve finished residency, ideally taken a long vacation, and now you are about to start your first year of practice. Here are a few tips to ensure a smooth transition:

1. Get oriented: It can be unsettling to find yourself in an unfamiliar environment when beginning your first job. Even if your practice doesn’t schedule an official orientation, try to spend some time in each of your colleagues’ clinics during your first few weeks of work. Not only will you be able to match faces to names, but you’ll observe clinic flow, basic charting and billing, and different personalities and management styles. Your colleagues and staff are a wonderful source of advice on everything from patient management to local housing – get to know them!

Orientation to the OR and ER is essential, and you’ll likely have an interview at the hospitals where you’ll have privileges. Take advantage of this time to find out the policy on case supervision, how to book a case for the OR after hours, how to use the computers, and where to park – don’t wait until you’re called into the hospital in the middle of the night.

2. Find a mentor: This is invaluable. It can single-handedly change your first year of practice from a harrowing to pleasant experience. Sit in on your colleague's cases initially – again, this eases you into your new surroundings – and then add a few of your own cases. Having an experienced surgeon at your side -- pointing out areas for possible improvement -- can make the transition from residency to private practice much less stressful and will certainly make you a better surgeon. It is also helpful to spend some time in your mentor's clinic, learning how he or she evaluates and counsels patients.

3. Build your practice: So now you’re oriented to your new practice and have found a mentor. Chances are, you’re not coming to work and encountering a waiting room full of patients. Make the most of your down time by volunteering for vision screenings or attending health fairs on behalf of your practice. This is a nice way to provide a service to those in need, while simultaneously getting your name (and your practice’s name) out into the community. Also, set aside time to introduce yourself (in person) to the physicians and optometrists in the area. Make sure they can get in touch with you easily by leaving your contact information.

Hopefully, these suggestions will ease your transition from resident to an attending physician…Best wishes!